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Neymar injury dampens Brazil’s march to World Cup semifinals

Superstar sidelined for tournament after suffering back injury vs. Colombia

Brazil's Neymar screams in pain after being fouled during the World Cup quarter-final match against Colombia at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil, Friday, July 4, 2014. Neymar will miss the rest of the World Cup after breaking a vertebrae during Brazil's win over Colombia.Photo: Manu Fernandez/AP

RIO DE JANEIRO — The car horns blared, as if already cued up and no way to stop them. Those astonishingly annoying yellow-and-green noisemakers that pedlars hawk on the curbs of sun-splashed streets still rattled the eardrums. Bouquets of fireworks lit up the night sky. Yellow-clad Selecao addicts pounded each other on the backs at the final whistle.

Yet the cheers were muted; the celebrations compromised; the partying strangely subdued on Friday night.

Victory has a habit of arriving at terrible cost.

The sight of wonder boy Neymar carted off the pitch in Fortaleza in one of those unsafe-looking orange-bucket FIFA contraptions before being whisked to a local hospital took the edge off what should’ve been a night of unbridled joy for Brazilians everywhere.

FORTALEZA, BRAZIL – JULY 04: Fernandinho of Brazil tackles Fredy Guarin of Colombia during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Quarter Final match between Brazil and Colombia at Castelao on July 4, 2014 in Fortaleza, Brazil. (Photo by Gabriel Rossi/Getty Images)

As the precocious idol of a nation lay face down on the turf in tears following a heavy but innocuous-looking challenge from behind by Colombia’s Juan Zuniga, more than 60,000 people fell silent around Estadio Castelao stadium. Nearly 200 million others across this vast, complicated, beautiful country joined in the vigil, swallowed hard and held their breath in unison.

Brazil is through to the World Cup semifinals, 2-1 conquerors of primary threat Colombia. But the thought of facing the powerful German machine on Tuesday in Belo Horizonte minus both Neymar and highly influential central defender Thiago Silva — automatically suspended through an accumulation of yellow cards — is enough to make to make the most confirmed atheist hereabouts head out to Corcovado and take the train up to the Christo Redentor statue for a bit of 1-on-1 time with the Big Man high above the clouds.

“We lost Neymar,’’ said Brazilian boss Luiz Felipe Scolari with appropriate gravity after the match. “Based on what I’m seeing, he won’t be able to play. We knew he would be hunted so we are in a difficult situation but we have good players who can come in.

“There will be a series of exams because he was kneed in the lower back and he was crying (in) pain. We don’t have an idea, but I can guarantee it won’t be easy for him to recover based on what the doctor told us and the pain he’s in.

“I don’t know. I really don’t know. I hope he’s OK.’’

Brazil’s forward Neymar is carried on a stretcher after being injured following a tackle during the quarter-final football match between Brazil and Colombia at the Castelao Stadium in Fortaleza during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on July 4, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ODD ANDERSENODD ANDERSEN/AFP/Getty Images

He is not OK. Team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar told Brazilian TV that Neymar broke the third vertebrae in the lumbar region of his back.

“It’s a benign fracture,’’ Lasmar said. “This news is not easy but he will not be available at this World Cup.

“The fracture does not require surgery. There will be a conservative treatment. He needs comfort to ease the pain.’’

There will be no easing Brazil’s pain.

In what should’ve been a tasty all-South American matchup, the Brazilians stormed out and seized control. This, at last, you thought through those opening 20 minutes or so was the real Brazil. The one we’d all been waiting to emerge and set this tournament alight..

Brazil’s defender and captain Thiago Silva (3L) heads the ball next to Colombia’s midfielder James Rodriguez (5L) during the quarter-final football match between Brazil and Colombia at the Castelao Stadium in Fortaleza during the 2014 FIFA World Cup on July 4, 2014. AFP PHOTO / VANDERLEI ALMEIDAVANDERLEI ALMEIDA/AFP/Getty Images

Almost before the Colombians had time to draw breath, Silva had bundled in a goal off his thigh/shin/groin area in the first half and then David Luiz added to the misery in the second, launching a free kick that seemed to stop curling and float, bubblelike, high and past ’keeper David Ospina’s slow-to-react lunge.

The match itself deteriorated into an incredibly mean-spirited and scrappy charade, Spanish referee Carlos Velasco Carballo quickly losing control. A whopping 54 fouls were actually whistled down, 31 against the home side, a slew more missed.

And the play-acting was becoming shameful. Yes, even by football standards.

“You create friction because of the competitiveness and it’s not easy to referee such a game,’’ defended Colombia coach Jose Pekerman. “The tension was very high and Brazil needed the victory.

“We aspired to do the same in every play — there was a lot of intensity. That interrupted the game. We lost the fluidity of the game because of this.’’

Brazil’s Neymar and Colombia’s Cristian Zapata challenge for the ball during the World Cup quarterfinal soccer match between Brazil and Colombia at the Arena Castelao in Fortaleza, Brazil, Friday, July 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Referee Carballo missed a lot and certainly could have shown Silva a red card for knocking into Ospina as he prepared to launch the ball downfield. He certainly should’ve red-carded Brazilian ’keeper Julio Cesar for clipping down Carlos Bacca at the knees in the 80th minute as the Colombian was just about to sail past him and score.

James Rodriguez did manage to convert the ensuing penalty (at least Velasquez got that right), but the Selecao used the benefit of the non-red card call to hold out the rest of the way.

From Rio to Recife, Cuiaba to Sao Paulo, Brazilians were ready to party hardy as only they know how Friday night.